The United States has temporarily suspended immigration and citizenship applications by Nigerians and nationals of several other countries following the expansion of President Donald Trump’s travel ban, according to a report by CBS News.
The decision effectively prevents affected nationals from obtaining US citizenship, permanent residency, asylum or changes to their immigration status, even if they are already living legally in the United States.
Under the directive issued earlier this month, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been ordered to freeze all immigration petitions filed by nationals of countries listed in the expanded travel ban proclamation. The move marks a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s crackdown on legal immigration.
Many of those affected are lawful residents who were in the process of adjusting their status or applying for US citizenship before the suspension took effect.
The freeze followed the Thanksgiving week shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington, DC, an attack allegedly carried out by an Afghan national. In response, the administration also halted all asylum decisions handled by USCIS and stopped the processing of immigration and visa applications by Afghan nationals.
On Tuesday, Trump broadened the travel ban to include 20 additional countries. Five countries are subject to a full ban on entry into the United States, while 15 face partial restrictions.
A US official, speaking to CBS News on condition of anonymity because the measures have not been formally announced, said USCIS has now extended the suspension of immigration cases to cover nationals of the newly added countries.
Countries under a full ban include Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria.
Those placed under partial restrictions are Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Before the latest expansion, the freeze already applied to nationals of Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Cuba, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Laos, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Yemen and Venezuela.
Trump’s new proclamation also upgraded Laos and Sierra Leone from partial restrictions to a full entry ban.
In a social media post late Thursday, USCIS Director Joseph Edlow appeared to confirm the expanded clampdown.
“USCIS is conducting a comprehensive review of anyone from anywhere who poses a threat to the US, including those identified in the President’s latest proclamation to restore law and order in our nation’s immigration system,” Edlow said.
The latest measures now affect nationals from more than 60 per cent of African countries and roughly 20 per cent of countries worldwide.
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